John’s life turned around thanks to a chance meeting two months ago
A TikTok famous busker who became a viral hit after he was recorded singing in a McDonald’s drive-thru has finally got himself a new home after a GoFundMe was set up for him. A video of John Metcalfe playing Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits outside the McDonald’s on Jennifer Avenue, near Great Homer Street, went viral on TikTok and has led to a huge outpouring of support.
Within days John, 59, received an offer of a city centre gig, while thousands of pounds were raised to support him – all thanks to a chance meeting with Stephen Flynn. Stephen drove through the McDonald’s drive-thru with a friend to get some breakfast. They spotted John with his guitar and asked him to sing a song.
His rendition of the 1978 classic was an instant hit online after Stephen posted it to his 11 TikTok followers on his account, steflynn748. Before he knew it, the video had more than 10 million views and just short of 900,000 likes, and Stephen had amassed more than 18,000 followers. A GoFundMe page raised more than £10,000 which was used to buy a motorhome for him.
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After playing a gig at The Slaughter House days after speaking to the ECHO, John’s fortunes continued to turn, with Khan Dental practice in Allerton giving the 59-year-old a “whole new smile”. Stephen’s sister, Melissa, told the ECHO: “It was a journey getting it but we got there.
“Can we please say a special thanks to Khan Dental in Allerton for giving John his smile back, all from the kindness of his heart? John had four appointments with Dr Khan to give him a whole new smile.
“Also thank you to every single person who donated to the GoFundMe for John to make this happen, especially Matt who donated a massive £2000.
“Me and my brother Stephen are so happy for John and so glad we could help make this happen for him. We all came together and gave a homeless man a home. There is no better feeling than that. Good luck on the road John.”
The ECHO spoke to John outside the McDonald’s branch in August where he explained how surreal it had been seeing so many listen to him sing. He said: “Since the moment the video went online, this guy (Stephen) has been like a saint. He’s shown me the best side of what you can find in Liverpool. We get put down so much but this is the best side of humanity. It’s straight from the heart. He didn’t expect this to happen. It’s taken over his life, the poor guy, but he’s a real Liverpool hero.”
John, from Allerton, left Merseyside when he was 23, initially heading for the Middle East where he said he lived with rural communities before heading to Scandinavia, but is now back in his home city after visa issues meant he was deported from Norway.
John said he has spent his adult life singing and busking, while also having a variety of jobs while travelling across Europe and Asia, working in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Norway, and many other countries. He showed the ECHO his Dutch and French identification cards as well as explaining how his sons Joshua, 34, and Arion, 29, live in Almeria, Spain, with their mum, from whom John is separated.
In a TikTok post showing the moment John was handed the keys by Stephen he said: “I am so happy, I can’t believe it. Thank you to all the beautiful people out there. Thank you.” John, and his girlfriend of four years Hege-Marie Amundsen, 48, will now travel around the UK while John busks for a living.
